Hypodermic syringe



July l2, 1932. J. P. FLETCHER j 1,867,355

HYP'ODERMIC SYRINGE: Filed-Marn 11,l 1929' annui." ahum Patented July` 12, 1932 UNITED STATES vPATENT voI-FlcE JOHN IP. FLETCHEROF THE' UNITED STATES ARMY, OFCABLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T COOK LABORATORIES, INC., 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A' CORPORATION OF DELAWARE 'meneame simmer .Application iled Iareh 11, 1929. Serial No. 345,977.

This invention aims to provide an improved hypodermic syringe of the type having or employing a sealed medicament-container from which the fluid is ejected through the needle.

For illustration', one practicable syringe construction embodying the invention 1s shown in the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the illustrative syringe;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the rear parts in end elevation.;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing fore parts in end elevation;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation, the section being taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

The illustrative syringe contains, as a removable operative component, a sealed medicament container with needle-holding and ensheathing means,-constructed as a unit. The medicament container is represented by a Glass tube 1 having rubber sealing plugs 0r.

Stoppers la and 1b between which is confined the anes hetic solution or other medicament Huid to be dispensed. Said container has a needle-holder 2 carrying an inecting needle 3 in operative position for injection into the patients tissue. The needle is sealed by a glass sheath 4 extending from the container and adapted to be removed to expose the injecting needle.

The combined sealed medicamentfcon'taining and needle-carrying and ensheathing unit is mounted in an instrument body 5 constructed to receive and hold the unit and t0 permit forward protrusionY of the needley carrying and ensheathing extensionof the unit. As shown more clearly in Fig. 1, said instrument body 5 of the particular instru# ment shown is constructed as a skeletonized tubular-like holder for the medicament-container, saidl holder being of larger internal diameter thanthe external diameter of the medicament-container, and, by virtue of its skeletonized construction, providing a lateral longitudinal opening wide enough to permit lateral or sidewise insertion of thev medicament-container into the instrument body.

At its fore end, the instrument body is constructed with a fixed head 6 having a radial slot 7 to receive the needle sheath et when the unit is inserted lin the instrument body. Swiveled or rotatably mounted on 'said fixed -head 6 is a head 8 having a similar slot 9.

' 5, so as to move the slot 9 out of alignment with the slot 7. Thus the heads 6r and 8 provide in eiectv a composite head having a cen' tral opening through which the needle sheath protrudes and into which central opening the said sheath may be admitted through the slots 7 and 9 when aligned; the outer member of said composite head adapted to be turned or adjusted to close the entrance to the'central opening, thus serving as a locking device to prevent any accidental displacement of the needle-ensheathing end of unit after it isinserted.

The ,instrument body has a rear head 10 shown integral with and extending as a flange from the rear of the instrument body. This head vis constructed to provide a suiiicient bearing 11 for the plunger rod 12. Said plunger rod is adapted to enter ythe glass tube 1, and drive in the rear plug 1* thereof the vto eiect the fluid contents of the medicamentcontainer through the needle, after communication with the needle is established as hereinafter explained. An enlarged head 13 on the inner end of the plunger rod prevents retraction of the plunger rod from the instrument. A. handle or thumb knob 14 is provided on the rear end of the plunger ro'd.

This thumb piece 14 may be screwed on av reduced threaded terminal of the plunger rod as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The head 10 has attached thereto at 15 a resilient plate or spring finger 16 which exloof tends transversely through the instrument body as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thisplate has a central opening to permit the plunger rod and its head 13 to patherethrough into the glass tube. The roughened upper free end 1 7 of the spring plate may be pressed Aback by the thumb to retract the spring plate when inserting or removing the unit. Normally the spring plate presses forward against the butt end of the medicament-conmedicament-container has near its rear end a.

pair of spring clasps 18, shown more clearly in Fig. 4.' These clasps are positioned to receive and embrace the glass tube 1. Thus when the medicament-containing and needleensheathing unit is inserted in the instrument, with the needle-ensheathing extension thereof seated in the center of the fore end of the instrument, and with the rear portion of the tube 1 seated in the clasps 18, the unit lis properly aligned with the instrument and in position, as shown in Fi 2, to admit the plunger 18 into the glass tu After inserting the unit, the glass sheath 4 should be removed to expose the injecting needle,and communication between the needle and the iluid chamber of 'the sealed medicament-container should be established. With the particular unit selected for illustration, the needle-holding extension 2 of the medicament-container is provided by an extension ofthe sealing plug 1", and the glass needle sheath 4. which in this instance is separate from the glass medicament-containing tube 1, is fitted on and sealed by said extension. Thus the sheath may be removed by withdrawing it fromsaid'extension.; although the sheath, being of glass, would of course be susceptible of removal by nicking or filing and then breaking it o' around the needleholding extension. The needle is shown embedded inthe plug 1" with the inner pointed end of the needle closely adjacent to but not axially piercing the inner wall of said plug,

leaving a sufficient thickness of material between the liquid and the inner end of the needle for effective sealing of the liquid during transportation and handling ofthe unit,

yet which may be readily pierced by a slight relative movement between the plug and needle.' This piercing may be accomplished by a slight inward thrust of the needle, the

neonata inward movement thereof being limitedby the intermediate needle enlargement 3u. An inward thrust of the needle to cause the piercing may be aseptically accomplished by utilizing the removed needle sheath as a convenient pusher and pushing with the end of said sheath against the needle enlargement 3a. Communication having been established, the inward forcing or continued inward forcing of the piston plug 1a by the plunger rod will eject the fluid contents of the medicament-container through the needle. With said speciic unit, the plug 1b preferably has a-ilange interposed between the end of the glass tube and the head 6, serving as a gasket or to cushion the end of the glass tubel against end thrust during the fluid-ejecting operation, and said plug 1b also preferably has an inwardly-opening axial recess provi ing an annular wall on which the hydrostatic pressure acts during the Huid-ejecting operation, tending to press said wall more tightly against the interior of the tube and thus promoting the maintenance of a good seal.

The construction described is characterized by, simplicity and convenience, permits a lquick assemblage of the syringe or injectionadministering organization for operative use, and the holding and operatin instrument in which. the unit is contained 1s adapted vto be made as a comparatively inexpensive article. The sealed medicament-containl ing and needle-ensheathing unit may be easily inserted laterally as already explained, the spring plate 16l pressing the unit orward to abut the fore end of the medicament-container against the head 6, whereupon the head 8 may be turned sufliciently to hold the needle-ensheathing extension and prevent accidental displacement. The sheath 4 may thenV be removed, and the instrument body may conveniently be held between the lirst and second fin ers while the thumb presses on the thumb iece 14 to force in the plunger rod so as to drive in the' plug 1$1 and eject the 'contained fluid through the needle.

from the fore end of the container, the instrument havin its fore end constructed to abut` the fore en of the container and accommodate protrusion of the ensheathed needle and to permit removal of the sheath, and being constructed to permit insertion and removal of the unit and having suitable ejector'means for operating the umt. The specific instrument shown is one suitable instrument for use in conjunction with such unit. for the purposes of the type of organization referred to, and in itself embodiesinventive features of distinctiveadvantage as herenbefore indicated. The unit exemplifies a medicamentcontainer and needle-carrying and ensheathing syringe unit embodying a sealed medicament tube with a sealing plug and operatively held needle to pierce said plug by relative movement of the plug and needle under force applied on one of them, and the unit in itself embodies features of the invention.

lt will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment herein illustrated and described;4 also that features of the invention may be advantageously used in various different combinations and sub-combinations.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A hypodermic syringe comprising, in combination, a sealed medicament container comprising a tube having a fore closure to be pierced by a needle and having a displaceable rear plug; a holder in which said container isremovably mounted said holder having an abutment for the fore end of the container and a spring plate to press against the butt end of the container and hold it in engagement with said abutment; means to hold a needle in position for piercing the fore closure of the container; and a plungerarranged to enter said tube and drive in the piston plug the saidspring plate embodying an annular portion to permit entry of the plunger into the tube.

2. A syringe instrument for holding and operating a medicament-containing unit having a, needle-ensheathing extension, said instrument constructed to admit the unit sidewise and having Va radiallyl slotted fore part to admit the needle-ensheathing extension of the unit, said fore part embodying an adjustable member which can be adjusted to close the slotted fore part 'around the needleensheathing extension and thereby lock the unit in place, and said -instrument having a rearwardly mounted plunger and resilient means to bear on the butt end of the unit to press it forward against an labutment provided by the fore part of the instrument.

3. A syringe instrument for holding and operating a medicament-containing unit having a needle-ensheathing extension, said instrument constructed to admit theV unit sidewise and having a radially slotted fore said spring plate having a free end projecting through said opening and rbent rearwardly and adapted to be engaged by the thumb for drawing back the spring plate.to release the cartridge while also facilitating .the camming of the butt end of the cartridge against the spring plate as the cartridge' is inserted.

5. A syringe instrument for use with a cartridge having a needle-ensheathing extension, said instrument comprising a holder having a lateral opening for insertion of the cartridge and having at its fore end a ixed radially slotted head and a rotatable-radi- 'f ally slotted head,A the slotsl of which heads may be registered to permit side wise insertion of the said needle-ensheathing extenslon,

y said slots when out of registry cooperating to provide a central circular opening through which said extension can protrude.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name' to this specification.

JOHN P. FLETCHER.

part to admit the needle-ensheathing extenv head with a cartridge-operating plunger therein and a spring plate arranged to bear on the butt end of the cartridge so as to press the cartridge forward against said abutment, 

